Flue-damper.



Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

dum Vo 2 SHEETS-s111121* 1.

. INI/ENTOH Y JT Wh/Za.

ATTORNEYS.

J. WHITE.

FLUB DAMPBB..

APPLIUATION FILED 11111.30, 1911.

Patented Apr. 16,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOH W/ TNESSES:

COLUMBIA PMNoanAPM ca.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

.oHN WHITE, or' BoIsE, IDAHO.-

FLUE-DAMPER.

Specication of ietters latent Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Application filed January 30, 1911. Serial No. 605,536.

To all whom "it may concern: I n y Be it known that I, JOHN WHITE, residing at Boise, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented a new andv Im-pv proved Flue-Damper, of which the following is af-speciiication.

This invention, which relates generally to.

damper devices for smoke nues, is more particularly designed for use 1n connection with open lfire-place flues, and it primarily has for its object to provide an improved con-1y struction of damper devices of the character' stated of a simple and economical nature, in which the parts are so designed -andar-r ranged to coperate, that they can bereadily put into operative condition and lbuilt inv the fire-place by unskilled labor, and when set up the same will be held from being dis'- abled or put out of order under ordinary use, and that can be easily setl from they, outside of the fire-place and held to its set po-y y '1 forms the back of the damper frame and it sition.

Another object of my invention to pro`' inafter generally described, specifically pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a perspective view of a fire'- place with my invention applied, parts being shown in section and broken away to illustrate the internal arrangement thereof. Fig. 2, is a cross section, the damper being at the normal or closed position. lF ig. 3, is

a similar view that shows the damper as held locked to the upper or open position. Fig. 4, is a horizontal section on the line 4?-4 of Fig. 2, Fig. 5, is a perspective view of the concrete lintel or frame, the damperl devices mounted thereon, the supplemental concrete lintel being also shown. Fig. 6, is a sectional perspective view showing a modified form of construction. l

In the practical application of my inventiona rectangular frame 1 is provided, that during the process of building theA inwhich the damper member and iis preferably formed of reinforced concrete, .and it constitutes the stationary part of my invention. The front member 10 ofthe ,member 1 has a nished facing, see Fig. 6,

-whereby it serves as a lintel, an archy and an :angle iron, making anchors unnecessary, the

ends of the said frame being built in the flue walls. 'To provide for a perfect facing a supplemental reinforced beam is loosely mounted on top of the facing frame member 10 that sustains the front wall w of the ue ,and insures a perfect building of the flue, .and at the same time cuts down the trouble andV expense in cutting bricks, as is usual iny the ordinary methods of flue building. When the front of damper devices serves as a frontlintel, the said lintel facings are :covered wth supplemental brick or tiling, as shown #in the drawings, and that part over fthe member 10 is preferably ornamental. :The other longitudinal member 30 of frame rests on the back or fire-brick lining Y of ythe fire-place, its opposite ends being built in the common brick fiue walls. The front frame member 10 has its inner face formed with a horizontal shoulder 11 that extends Iits full length and that part below the ledge tapers to increase the width of the flue opening at the bottom of the damper frame. -The member 10 also has a V-shaped open- Iing 12, the apex of which is at the lnner side Land the outer side of which communicates with ai narrow tube 8 that is built in thel tube 8 form the. passage kfor the pull chain- 7 that sets the damper 4, presently again referred to, to its openposition and holds it to such set position, the holding being effected by Vhooking the links of the chain when fthey pass through the outer end of the tube so they serve as detents (see Fig. 3), it be- :ing obvious that the elevated position of ,the damper maybe indicated by the number of chain links pulled out of the tube 8. The `damper 4 is a metal plate that extends within the full length of the frame and it is rockably mounted, its trunnions 40, (see Fig. 4) being located nearer the rear member .30 than the front member 10 of the frame for reasons presently explained, and to provide for an easy fitting of the damper ,plate the concrete frame l has vertical sockthe damper 4, without undue jar or injury i down from the edge 40a to which the chain.

side and end faces and-a central Hue passage,

.. of the'danger of being knocked out of 0plfor aHords a simple and accurate `means forl VHaine strikes it the most, I provide a metal.

.damper swinging yto its .closed lposition :unf ets 45t`o receive the trunnions 40, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

It should be stated that the frame l is built in the fire-place in advance of the main or vertical Hue X, or in other words, Vit is offset from the mainrx Hue X so that fallig of brick bats, heavy mortar chunks, etc., will strike on the ledge Z at the bottom of the Hue X rather than on the damper or its frame, `it vbeingclear that by reason of such offset position, anything dropping down the Hue, will merely roll over and onto to,it,`dor its supporting and actuating de-v vices. i

The :damper plate 4 (see Figs. 2 and 3) is so` mounted that it will drop down to a closure position when the pull on the chain 'Tris released so long as the damper does not pass up to the perpendicular position, and to prevent its being pulled up to such posi-v, tion it has an upwardly projected stud lof a length greater than the short edge 40 ofv thedamper plate andthe said stud 15 engages the member 30 when the damper is.` swung up (see Fig. 3) and prevents the said damper reaching the perpendicular position.

4l designates a crank stud that projects is attached.

By reason of the construction shown andv described, the damper is always held free erative condition while building the chimney and its closing .action is automaticallyl and positively effected when the chain isreleased. The chain pull and the guide thereregulating the set of the damper and since no springs or rods are used, and the main frame with the damper devices are a Icomplete structure, the same are easily set up,

.'Io reinforce the cement vblock and ,also act as a baflle for protecting it from the intense heat, especiallyfat the parts where the` plate .lining 2O that Hts-over the inner surface of the block, as best shown in Figs. '13, 4 and 5, by reference to which -it will be also: noticed that the -end members of the said baffle also serve as bearings for the trunnions 40 of the damper 4.

What I claim is: -l. As an yarticle of manufacture -a block y of Hre resisting material having top, bottom,

a damper hingedly-mounted in said passagej along one edge andadjacent to one side wall,; said block having a .ledge .fon which said-` damper rests gto -closesaid passage, lsaid der the-.inHuenceof gravity,zsaid block hav-g ing Va passage in onesidewall, a -Hexible device passing through said passageY and conii'ectedv with said damper whereby said damper may be swung toward a vertical position to open said Hue passage and means for limiting the movement of said damper to Vprevent its reaching a vertical position.

2.' As an article of manufacture a. block .of fire resisting material having top, bottom, side and end faces and a central Hue passage, 'a damper hingedly mounted in said passage `along :one edge and adjacent to one side wall, :said block having a `ledge on which said ldamper rests to close said passage, said damper swinging ,to it-s closed position unfder the influence of gravity, said block hav- 'inga l,passage in one side wall, a flexible de- ;vice ,passing through said passage and connected with said damper whereby said damper may be swung toward a vertical pog-sition to open said Hue passage and means gforlimiting the movement of said damper sto lprevent its reaching a vert-ical position, and a second block having a chamber section -Htted oversaidfirst mentioned block to form a continuation of the central passage thereof said second.block bei-11g of less width than jsaid first block.

` 3. A fireplace Hue structure including 1.a Wall inclosinga Hue passage, a lire resist-- giing :block set into said `wall to extend across fsaid Hue passage, said block having a Hue lpassage through t-he same and including aledge projecting into said passage, said block having side bearing grooves extending from the upper surface -of said block down into ssaid Hue .passage of the same and terminating opposite said ledge, a damper having fftrunnionsiheld :in said Vgrooves and .adapted fto gravitate ontol said ledge to close the passage of said block and a manually oper- :atedidevieeconnected with said damper and loo ieXtending through an opening in the front e wall of --said block and an vopening in the ifront wall of said fireplace, by means of Vwhich said damper may be swung on its pivot to open said block Hue passage more :or less.

4. In a fire-place, a Hue damper, comprising a block of fire -resisting material having 'side and-end walls supported at the ends in fthe Hue walls, said block having a Hue passage, -a damper plate pivotally mounted in the said passageandgravity droppeditoclose ithesaid passage, and a Hexible chain device .attached to the damper plate and operable from ithefoutside ofthe Hre-place for lswinging .the damper Aplate to the verticalposition said block having an opening through 'which said ,chain device proj ects.

5. In a fire-place, the combination with ithzelnain Hue; ofa building block of fire-,re-

sisting material having a :Hue vpassage jhori-` .Zontally mounted in .the -Hreplace in ad- Ivance .-of fbut .communication with Vthe main Hue,;a damper iplate pivotally mounted in the block passage to close the same, a chain secured to said damper plate, said block having a passage extended through its front face, a tube mounted in the lire-place wall and alining with said passage through which said chain projects, and a hook on the outside of the said lire-place wall on which said chain may be engaged to hold said damper plate open.

6. In a Hre-place, the combination with the main Hue; of a block of Hre resisting material having a Hue passage, said block being horizontally mounted in the fire-place in advance of but in communication with the main Hue, a supplemental block of Hre resisting material mounted in the fire-place over the front or face member of the block having the passage, a damper plate pivotally mounted in the block passage, a HeXible connection secured to the said plate, guides in the Hre-place wall and in the block having the Hue passage for the said chain, and means on the damper plate for preventing the said plate being tilted to a vertical position.

7. In a fire-place, the combination with the main Hue having an offset near its lower end, a block of fire resisting material mounted in the fire-place in the plane of said offset and in advance of the main Hue, a damper plate in the Hue passage pivotally mounted therein to drop to a horizontal position by gravity, a supporting ledge on the said block that forms a rest for the damper plate, a pendent member on the said plate at a point to the rear of its pivot, an upwardly projecting stud on the plate at a point in advance of its pivot, a HeXible pull connected with the pendent member of the damper plate and guide passages for the said HeXible pull in the HeXible block and in the front or facing wall of the Hre-place.

8. As a new article of manufacture a Hue damper consisting of a building block of Hre resisting material and having a Hue passage through the same, metallic plates at the ends of said Hue passage, said block having grooves at the ends of said Hue passage adjacent to the back wall, a damper having trunnions set into said slots and resting on said plates, said damper adapted to close said Hue passage under the inHuence of gravity, manually operated means for moving said damper to open said' passage, and a stop carried by said damper to prevent its being moved to beyond a perpendicular position, substantially as shown and described.

9. As a new article of manufacture a Hue damper consisting of a building block of fire resisting material and having a Hue passage through the same, metallic plates at the ends of said Hue passage, said block having grooves at the ends of said Hue passage adjacent to the back wall, a damper having trunnions set into said slots and resting on said plates, said damper adapted to close said Hue passage under the inHuence of gravity, manually operated means for moving said damper to open said passage, a stop carried by said damper to prevent its being moved to beyond a perpendicular posit-ion, combined with a supplemental cover block `Htted over substantially the front half of said building block and terminating short of said bearing grooves whereby the damper..

may be set into the bearing grooves when said blocks are in position.

10. In a Hreplace a structure having a Hue passage, a building block of fire resisting material set into said structure across said Hue passage, said block having itself a passage, a supplemental block set onto said Hrst mentioned block and above the same and extending partly across the Hue passage of the same said supplemental block having a chambered portion registering with the Hue passage ofsaid Hrst mentioned block, said Hrst mentioned block having trunnion receiving grooves adjacent to the wall opposite said second mentioned block, a damper having trunnions at each side adjacent to one edge, said trunnions being held in said bearing slots, said damper being removable from said building block through the top of same when said blocks are in their relative position, means for sustaining said damper in its closed position to close said building block Hue passage, and devices operatable from the outside of the Hreplace for moving said damper on its trunnions to open the Hue passage.

JOHN WHITE. Witnesses:

CHARLES E. WINSTEAD, HUGH E. McELRoY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

